Q (WITH STÅLE STORLØKKEN & INGEBRIGT HÅKER FLATEN)

4.5 stars. KROKOFANT are a guitar/sax/drum trio out of Norway and this is album number four from 2019. I had actually decided to get off of the KROKOFANT bus with their third album just feeling that maybe they had gone as far as they could with this format. Than I heard ELEPHANT9's incredible keyboardist Stale Storlokken and Haker Flaten an incredible bass player would be playing on this one and I had to check it out. So a five piece even though the two previously mentioned musicians are guests here, and this is their best yet!

Adding two musicians of their quality is such a great move by this band but also the guitarist relates that this is their most written album yet. Everything including the solos is done with intent, whereas in the past they always combined the composed with the improvised. The liner notes are done by David Fricke and what a wonderful read it is. He relays that he feels the more explosive parts on this album are like early seventies Miles Davis and MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA along with late sixties Ornette Coleman groups. And also the avant leanings of "Third" and "Fourth" by SOFT MACHINE and the 73/74 KING CRIMSON.

Fricke says that Flaten mentioned to the band he wouldn't mind playing with them. He didn't have to ask twice. The guitarist describes this album as being "...like Jazz in the sense that you play the theme, and each of the guys gets a solo, taking a different path. Then a riff sneaks in, we play around with that, and it builds to the climax." Just under 44 minutes we get three long tracks along with that second 6 1/2 minute one that is my favourite although the third song is right there too. This is consistent and challenging. So rewarding and innovative like 8 minutes into that second track. It's the emotion on that second tune that draws me in and it's something I've not felt before with this band. Some Rypdal sounding guitar on the opener before 4 minutes.

The music here isn't as difficult as the first two, more melodic for sure but still challenging. I just really looked forward to spinning "Q" each time it came up.